


The Break-In That Formed A Friendship

by GachMoBrea



Series: The Unexpected Series [11]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Attempted mugging, Blood, Bonding During Danger, Escape, Evading Police, Fighting, Gen, Injury, OOC, Out of Character, Team as Family - Slightly, big words, hoodlums, protective Len, punks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-18
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-06-02 23:19:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6587104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GachMoBrea/pseuds/GachMoBrea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cisco and Len are trapped in a warehouse full of expensive artifacts and it's up to the ex-thief to get them out before the police arrive. <br/>(The harder part will be getting home afterwards...)</p><p>Please, note the tags for triggers...</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Break-In That Formed A Friendship

**Author's Note:**

> This is mainly Len & Cisco bonding.

The Flash and Captain Cold were fighting a new Meta with the ability to send out waves that made you do the opposite of what you wanted to do. "Colonel Contrary" was fighting the duo in a museum warehouse where they had discovered him trying to make off with two millions dollars worth of paintings.  
Cisco had come to set up a ray gun that he designed to oppose the opposite effect and cancel it's effect.  
"Go slower, Cisco," Len said pleasantly to the genius. Len's suddenly bright and cheerful attitude was the hardest thing to deal with.  
"Almost done!" Cisco assured him, he had a smaller version of the ray gun around his neck so he could set up the bigger version, "And-wait for it-there!"  
The machine came to life, a low pounding noise emitting from the glowing box-like device. Len's shoulders sagged with relief.  
"Took you long enough," he growled, moving back to where Barry was fighting the Meta. He had stayed near the genius to protect him while he worked.  
"You're welcome!" Cisco called after him. To himself he muttered, "Ingrate."  
Now that they can punch where they mean to punch and shoot who they mean to shoot, The Flash and Captain Cold make quick work of defeating and securing the 'Colonel.' 

"Nice job team!" Barry congratulates as he secures the Meta's hands behind his back, "I'll just take him to his own little holding cell and we can be on our way."  
"You go ahead," Len drawls, holstering his Cold Gun, "We'll catch up."  
Barry puts the Meta over his shoulder and is gone from the room in seconds.  
Len turns to Cisco, "Need a hand?"  
"I got it," the genius mumbles, turning the machine off.  
Suddenly, the lights overhead turn red and there's a low sounding buzzing noise.   
Cisco looks up and frowns, "That can't be good."  
"For a genius, you sure like to point out the obvious," Len remarks, walking towards the nearest door. It's locked, shut tight with whatever security measures the building has in place, "Walking out of here won't be as easy as walking in."  
"Can't you just ice the door and break it down?" Cisco asks, his machine in a duffle bag over his shoulder.  
"The door's too thick and my gun doesn't have enough juice," Len explains, eyes searching the building.  
"The cops have got to be coming if there's an alarm going off," Cisco starts to panic, "I cannot be caught in a warehouse full of priceless artifacts with Captain Cold."  
"Then let's not get caught." Len pries open the front of a grey box on the wall. There are hundreds of wires and a few blinking lights inside. Len removes his gloves and traces a few of the wires until he finally pulls a green one and the alarm stops.   
"The red light is still on," Cisco points out, even though it's obvious.  
"And the cops are still coming too," Len mocks, "I just needed quiet and that noise was not helping."  
"So, you can get us out of here from that little grey box?" Cisco doubts the entire security system could possibly be tapped into one small area.  
"What did I say about quiet?" Len snaps, ignoring the genius's disbelief, "The security system is pretty good, but all systems have a weak spot. This one uses relay boxes that can easily be rewired."  
"I have never been so happy to be locked in a room with an ex-criminal," Cisco babbles, making no attempt to be quiet.

Len moves a few more wires then the door audibly 'clicks' unlocked. Cisco sighs in relief and opens the door. There are red and blue lights approaching the building quickly and no cover for them to run to.  
"Shoot!" the genius closes the door again, "The cops are already here!"  
Len looks at his watch and nods, "Record time, there mustn't have been any traffic out tonight."  
"Stop appreciating their response time and figure out a way to get us out of here!"  
Cisco was never very good with pressure. Sure, he's pulled a miracle out of his hat once or twice, but he was out of his depth in this situation.  
"Calm down," Len's cool demeanor has the genius relaxing unknowingly, "We've got a couple of options. One, we hide out here until they leave with a 20% possibly of success. Two: we hide then make a break for it with a 50% chance of success. Three: we run for it now with a 15% of success. Or, four: we surrender."  
"I can't go to jail, man," Cisco can't imagine himself lasting one minute behind bars. Let alone what his family would do to him when they found out.  
Len's already moving, taking off his parka and placing it over a suit of armor across the room. He returns to the genius and shoves him in between two crates on the bottom shelf, nearest to the door.  
"They're going to come rushing in here and the second that door starts closing, you make a break for it," he tells him, moving to leave.   
"What are you going to do?" Cisco hisses at him, the machine is stabbing him through the bag on his back.  
"Distraction," he smiles, running off in the opposite direction moments before the cops burst into the room. 

Cisco tries to make himself as small as possible as the police officers flood into the room. There are about six of them and he watches as the door slowly starts to close. As ordered, he runs.   
The genius expects to hear shouting from behind him, but there's nothing but his harsh breathing as he runs passed the empty patrol cars and to the street beyond. He keeps running until he's completely out of breath and exhausted. Thankfully, there's a mangled bush to hide behind in case anyone did manage to follow him.  
He huddles behind the bush, his breath going from harsh gasps for air, to deep ones, then ending with his regular stressed-out breathing.  
There's still no sign of Captain Cold.  
"Lisa's going to kill me," Cisco groans, imagining his girlfriend's face when he gives her the news her brother's been caught by the police and is going back to jail. She'll no doubt bring about the man's escape and then refuse to talk to him for weeks.  
Worthy will probably look at him funny too.

"You gonna hide out here all night?" 

Cisco shouts, turning around to see Len staring at him, his arms crossed over his chest like it's completely normal to have just escaped the police. Then again, it WAS normal for the used-to-be crook.  
"How did you get out?" Cisco says, a little more accusingly than he intended.  
Len shrugs, "The usual distract/avoid/escape method any good criminal knows. I'm surprised you're not back home by now. I had to double back to get you."  
"It's not like we had a plan for after we got out of there," Cisco grumbles.

They walk side by side down the streets in silence. The machine is pretty heavy on Cisco's shoulder and he moves it from shoulder to shoulder as they go.  
"Here," Len takes the bag off the genius's shoulders and puts it on his own, "I'm used to carrying my ill gotten gains."  
Cisco rubs at his sore shoulder, "Thanks."  
"I'll have to go back and get my bike another day," Len ignores the gratitude, "Assuming the boys in blue don't find it first."  
"I'm sure you can re-acquire it from the compound if they do."  
Len laughs a little, "True, it wouldn't be the first time."  
"Why am I not surprised."

 

The stars are out and the moon is like a giant flashlight, illuminating their way back. It's not until they're crossing their tenth street that Cisco suddenly realizes, "Your coat!"  
Len raises an eyebrow to the sudden realization, "What about it?"  
"The police will know Captain Cold was in that warehouse and assume you've gone back to being a criminal!" This is bad, this is very bad...  
But Len is chuckling and Cisco doesn't get the joke. He looks at his teammate, wondering if the man has lost his mind.  
"You think just because there's a winter parka in a warehouse that the cops will think I tried to rob the place?" he drawls, a smile still on his lips, "I'm not the only man to wear that fashionable piece of outerwear, Cisco."  
"Choices of attire aside," Cisco remarks, "It's kinda like your trademark."  
"Are you worried about little ole me?" Len stops walking and looks at Cisco.  
The genius stops and looks back, "No, I just don't want Worthy to get upset."  
Len tilts his head to the side, considering, "Then it's a good thing I set it on fire."  
"What?" Cisco nearly shouts as the other man passes him, resuming their walk back home, "You set your coat on fire in the middle of a room full of priceless objects?"  
"Please, it was on a suit of armor, there are hundreds of those," Len lifts a hand to his ear, "Do you hear that?"  
Cisco stops to listen, but can only hear his heartbeat and their breathing, "No."  
"Exactly," Len drops his hand, "No firetrucks heading out to stop an angry fire."  
"You're incredible," the genius breathes, amazed at the man's lack of worry.  
"Thanks." 

 

They're nearly there now. The welcoming lights from the City a beacon to home.  
The three menacing figures coming out of the alleyway were an unwelcomed sight.  
"Can we help you, gentlemen?" Len drawls as they approach.   
They have their hoods up and two of them are holding pipes. The one in the middle steps forward.  
"You can give us your valuables," he tells them, his shoulders raising and lowering like he can't decide how they should be.  
Cisco can't believe his luck. He gets locked into a building he saved from being pillaged by a Meta, almost gets arrested by the cops, and now he's being mugged!  
"And if we don't?" Len drawls, his hand resting on the Cold Gun.  
The stranger smiles, "Then me and my boys will have to teach you and your friend a lesson."  
"I was never very good at learning lessons," Len says darkly, and Cisco feels a familiar chill go down his spine. The other man hasn't talked like that since he joined Team Flash.  
The 'leader' swings his pipe at Len and gets shot back by the Cold Gun. The one on the left gets a swing in but misses and Len slams the gun into his back as he falters, knocking him to the ground.   
The guy on the right pulls a gun on Cisco and the genius has enough time to shout, "Gun!" before it goes off.

Cisco has his eyes closes tight. He waits, expecting the pain from the bullet as it rips through his gut or his chest or anywhere really.   
But there's no pain and he forces his eyes open to see the gunman out cold on the ground next to his buddy. He looks to his teammate and Len's merely holstering the Cold Gun again.  
"Wha-He shot me," he says lamely, not knowing what happened.  
"He tried to shoot you," Len corrects, picking up the weapon with gloved fingers and putting it in his back pocket, "I can imagine Detective West will want the weapon off the streets."  
Cisco nods, numbness draining away with the adrenaline as he follows after Len.   
He's not shot. The guy must have missed. But how could he have missed from so close?

Then he sees it, the dripping of blood coming from Len's arm as he walks.  
"You got shot!" he accuses, pointing to the wound even though the other man has his back to him, "You're bleeding!"  
"I can see why you're the genius," Len deadpans, stepping a little faster to get across an empty street. Cisco picks up the pace to keep up. The other man still has the bag with the device inside.  
"Let me take that thing," he offers when he's back at Len's side, "You shouldn't be doing heavy lifting if you're injured."  
"It's just a graze," Len waves the genius's hand away, "I've had worse."  
"That's not reassuring," Cisco comments, almost running to keep up with the other man, "Why are you walking so fast?"  
"Don't want to run into any other wanna-be muggers," Len jokes, but it sounds pained. The blood's dripping a little more now and it doesn't take a genius to know the wound is more than a scratch.  
"Let me have a look at that," Cisco orders, putting a hand on the other man's shoulder to get a better look. Len shakes out of the loose hold and keeps walking.  
"I can take care of it at home."  
"You can also take a long walk off a short pier but I wouldn't suggest it," Cisco grabs the other man's shoulder now, forcing him to turn, "Just let me see it."  
Len glares at him, but Cisco isn't going to let that stop him. He pulls on the hole in the other man's sweater, ripping it open so he can get a better look. There a bleeding hole in Len's arm where the bullet had gone in. There's a steady flow of blood coming from it. Cisco didn't know too much about the human body, but everyone knew the red stuff was supposed to stay inside.  
"This scratch is bleeding a lot," he tells Len, pulling on the hole until it rips the sleeve completely off. He ties the sleeve tightly around the bleeding wound, Len only hisses his complaints, "We've got to get that cleaned up and stitched."  
Len looks at the makeshift bandage, then back at Cisco, "We can call the Doc when we get back to the Lab. I don't want Wentworth to see the blood."  
Len resumed his trek down the street and Cisco hurries to keep up. Len's steps were confident strides and Cisco found himself being impressed by the older man. His teammate had saved him, was bleeding heavily from a gunshot wound that was intended for his head probably, and instead of blaming him or making fun of him, the other man was more worried about his son being upset about the blood.  
Whoever said a leopard can't change it's spots was a complete and total idiot.

Speaking of idiots: Cisco curses, pulling out his phone to call Caitlin. She was having a girl's night in with Lisa when the Meta had showed up at the warehouse and none of the men thought it necessary to disturb them.   
Not until now anyway.  
"Cisco?" the scientist answers, her voice already sounding concerned.  
"Caitlin," Cisco heaves a sigh of relief, "thank you for answering, we need you to meet us at STAR Labs."  
"We? What happened?" Cisco can hear Caitlin moving on the other side of the line, Lisa's voice says something, but he can't make out the words.  
"Uh, well, the good news is we got Colonel Contrary," Cisco jogs to catch up to Len again, "The bad news is that Len got shot."  
"Len got shot?" Caitlin repeats loudly, Lisa definitely says some sort of expletive. Cisco hopes Worthy is asleep and didn't hear it.  
"Just, please, get to the lab," Cisco ends the call before he has to explain things.  
For someone with a bleeding arm, Len was making remarkable time. Even the heavy bag still on the man's shoulder wasn't slowing him down.   
"Give me that thing," Cisco grabs the bag strap and removes it from Len, "I'm not going to show up looking like a jerk."  
Len winces at the sudden, harsh movement but doesn't try to stop the genius from taking the heavy bag. He puts his hand to his arm and closes his eyes against the pain.  
"Sorry," Cisco mumbles, cursing himself again for not being careful.  
"It's fine," Len drawls, he opens his eyes and begins to move again.

They make it down a few more blocks at Len's fast pace before the man starts to sway a little. Cisco moves to Len's good side and pulls the other man's arm across his shoulder to support him. Len moves to pulls out if, but Cisco tightens his grip.  
"Don't bother pulling away, Len," the genius tells him, "We're almost there and I don't want you passing out on me. I'm not as strong as I look."  
Len chuckles, the noise vibrating him in Cisco's hold.  
"What's so funny?" the genius asks, trying to keep his huffing out of his voice.  
"You, calling me by my name," Len drawls, "That makes two times in one night."  
Cisco barks out a laugh, "Well, you did take a bullet for me."  
"Not by choice, I assure you," Len grimaces.   
"You're really into this tough guy act," Cisco mocks, looking up and smiling at the street sign. They're only one street away now, practically home free. He can see the topmost parts of the three pillars of the building.  
Len stumbles a little and Cisco stops to steady the other man's steps. He looks over to the makeshift bandage and sees that it's soaked through.  
"Come on, Frosty," he puts a hand around Len's side for extra support, "We're practically there now."

Together they make it into the Lab and Len finds himself back in the medical part of the building. Caitlin isn't there yet, so Cisco gets to work trying to make Len comfortable.  
"There's no need to mother hen me, Cisco," Len smirks, removing the weapons so he can sit back in the bed, "The good doctor should be here any moment and you'll finally be rid of me."  
"Really, dude?" Cisco shakes his head at the other man, "We just escaped the cops and a trio of hoodlums together and you think I'm desperate to get rid of you?"  
"I thought you didn't like me," Len raises an eyebrow.  
"That was before," Cisco shrugs, looking down at the blood on his hands. He'll have to wash up after Caitlin gets there.  
"Bullets can be great motivators for friendship," Len mocks, tilting his head slightly, "I hope you don't think you owe me anything. It was a mistake. I should have pushed you instead."  
Cisco's heart sank at the word 'mistake' but then soared again when Len finished his explanation.   
"You also got me out of that warehouse," Cisco shrugs again, "You could've been caught making sure I got out."  
"And what would I have told Barry if I allowed one of his best friends to get arrested for trespassing and attempted robbery?" Len drawls, eyes glassy from pain.  
"Probably the same thing I'd tell him if I got part of his family locked up."  
Len chuckles, shaking his head, "Oh, what a world."

Caitlin arrives then, a flurry of words and motions as she checks out her patient.   
"We've got to stop meeting like this, Doc," Len smirks after she's removed the sweater bandage and gotten a look at the wound.  
"Your perchance for injuries is perplexing," Caitlin frowns, "The bullet's still in there, so I'll just clean this and give you something for the pain."  
"What with the ten cent words, Cait?" Cisco asks, he should really go and get cleaned up, but something's keeping him there.  
"Lisa and I were in the middle of a highly competitive word game," Caitlin explains, using an antiseptic in a bottle to clean Len's wound, "I would have won if you boys weren't so perturbing."  
"Obstreperous, even," Len adds.  
"Refractory," Cisco supplies.  
"Vociferous," Len counters.  
"Not helping!" Caitlin interrupts.

"What's not helping?" Lisa strides into the room, face furious, "Is Lenny okay?"  
"Where's Wentworth?" Len asks his sister before anyone can answer.  
"Grampa Joe is watching him," Lisa waves away his concern, "What happened?"  
"Small time punks with a gun," Len drawls, motioning to the gun he had placed next to his own, "They got off a lucky shot."  
"More like inauspicious," Lisa frowns, "Wait until I get my hands on them."  
"Too bad you're not going to and don't you dare tell Mick either," Len warns, his tone serious. Caitlin and Cisco share a look of worry at the criminal's name.  
"Lenny," Lisa tries to complain but her brother shakes his head.  
"Let the cops handle it, or let it go," he tells her, "I'm not going to let Wentworth's Aunt get arrested for a revenge murder."  
Lisa huffs, but lets the matter drop.  
Barry arrives next, all worried lines and shock at the blood, "What happened?"  
"Oh, great," Len drawls, "Now it's a party."

Cisco takes it upon himself to explain everything from the beginning, or from when Barry left with the Meta to the point where everyone started showing up. Lisa's eyes shined with love at her brother when Cisco made it a point to say he saved him from a bullet. Barry offers to go look for the three punks as The Flash, but Len convinces him not to.  
"They're long gone by now," Len says, "No point in traipsing through the dark."  
"At least you got the gun off the streets," Barry puts the weapon in a plastic bag, "Joe and I can run it and see if there are any outstanding warrants."  
"Not sure if there's a point," Len frowns, "I can't exactly go under oath or point them out in a line up. The CCPD will arrest me."  
"You won't have to if there are crimes affiliated with the gun," Barry smiles, "It will just be an anonymous drop off and we'll handle the rest."  
"Done!" Caitlin announces. The scientist had worked to remove the bullet and sew up the hole while the group talked. With the wound patched up, she begins wrapping it.  
Len looks at his arm, "Great job Doc, as always."  
"Try not to get hurt too soon," Caitlin smiles, "Or avoid injury altogether if you can."  
"If I can," Len returns the smile.  
"Can he ride on my bike?" Lisa asks when the bandage is on.   
Caitlin nods, "As long as you take it slow and try to avoid pot holes."  
"I could run you home," Barry offers, but Caitlin shakes her head.  
"At those speeds, the wound might open up again."  
"With me, then," Lisa smiles, taking her brother's arm as he gets out of the bed, "You look like you could use a drink."  
"Do I need to explain the ill-affects of mixing pain relievers and alcohol?" Caitlin asks tentatively. Both Snarts smirk at her. "Right."  
"Don't worry, Caitlin," Len continues to smirk, "I know my limit."  
Len lets his sister hold onto him as they leave the building. Cisco, Caitlin and Barry stay behind in the medical wing to clean up. The genius still hadn't washed the blood off his hands.

 

The next day, when Cisco goes to the Snart residence to check on his teammate, he's surprised to catch the man in pajamas. It must clearly show in his face, because Len smirks at him, "Coming in?"   
Cisco nods dumbly, walking through the door with no idea why he was really there.  
"You have something to get off your chest or is this you checking on me?" Len asks, "Because Lisa isn't here. She and Wentworth took Barry out shopping."  
"I was just making sure you were okay," Cisco's eyes wander through the house, noting the pile of books in the corner and lion sitting on the couch.   
"It was an arm wound, not a shot to the gut," Len remarks. There's a black sling supporting his injured arm. He waits a beat then says, "I misspoke the other day."  
"Oh?" Cisco finally turns his attention back to the other man.  
"Yeah," Len nods, "I called you Barry's best friend."  
"He is," Cisco's brows furrow, "He's like my best friend in the whole world."  
"But you're more than that, Cisco," Len says softly, way too softly for the Captain Cold Cisco knows, "You're part of his family too."  
Cisco frowns, thinking about it. He supposed that, yeah, in a word they were more of a dysfunctional family than mere friends. The genius looks to the criminal-turned hero, "Does that make us brothers or something?"  
Len scoffs, "More like distant cousins."  
Cisco smiles, a new feeling growing in his chest. There's an odd attachment to the other man now and Cisco thinks, 'Yeah, I could get used to calling him my friend.'

**Author's Note:**

> [In this universe, Barry locks up the Metas.]
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own the show, nor the characters.


End file.
